Biggles and The Rescue Flight

Biggles #16

by W.E. Johns

Two boys run away from school, lie about their age and sign up in the RFC. They meet up with Biggles at 266 Squadron and join his flight. But will Biggles find them out?

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Young Adult, War, Historical, Childrens, Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Invariably known as Captain W.E. Johns, William Earl Johns was born in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Eastman Johns, a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. He had a younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, who was born on 24 October 1895.

He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.

In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.

On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.

With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.

He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.

He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Biggles was a secondary character in this book, I still liked it just as much as the others. Actually, it was nice to see Biggles through someone else's eyes. Peter Fortymore, not quite seventeen, makes a drastic decision to run away to the RFC with a fellow schoolmate.

I'll admit that the story is a little unbelievable, but in those days I think you could get away with such things more often :) This story kept me highly interested the whole time, although I read it really fast (my twelve year old brother was ready for the book last night and I hadn't read it yet--oh, the calamities of book lovers :D).

I think the most interesting part to me was when Peter (or Thirty) was in the German village delivering a message. The part when he's taking his brother home (with the German's after them) kept me on my toes. I'm surprised that these books have not bored me yet.

*One use toward the end of God's name. Two or three uses of 'Gosh' and 'Golly'.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't surprised to see that this Biggles title was originally published under the title of 'The Rescue Flight' because, somewhat unusually, Biggles plays a secondary role in the adventure.

Two school pals realise that they are missing out on the war and when one of them finds out that his brother is captured behind enemy lines, the pair decide to run away and joine the Royal Flying Corps.

They use uniforms of the brother and borrow two 'planes to get to an RFC unit. There they meet up with Biggles and are eventually obliged to tell him the truth.

From then on he shields them and assists them in the rescue
mission(s). It gets very fraught and develops into something more than a simple rescue. There are thrills and spills with plenty of dog-fights along the way before 'Thirty', so called because he is the younger brother of Fortymore, nicknamed 'Forty', the captured pilot, finally, with the help of Biggles of course, completes the rescue flight.

However, the fact that he is still technically a school boy is then discovered by the Commanding Officer so there is that little problem to be sorted out before a happy ending!

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jolly good adventure, showing a unique side of the Biggles crew that one usually doesn't see. I also love the brothers bond between Fortymore and Thirty

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Biggles book where you can see how he's going to get drawn into Major Raymond's end of things. This story is about a schoolboy who pretends to be in the RAF to rescue his brother. His mentor in 266 squadron is Biggles, and Algy also features.

The interesting part for me as an adult is the descriptions of what it was like.

"...Looking down he saw an expanse of brown earth, perhaps a mile in width, gradually merging into dull green on either side. Through the brown expanse that coiled like a mighty serpent across the landscape from west to east ran tiny zigzag lines, hundreds of them, making a cobweb-like pattern. His breath suddenly came faster as he realized that he was looking at the actual lines where two mighty armies were entrenched, grappling in a stupendous life and death struggle. From time to time tiny white puffs appeared, and drifted sluggishly across the brown expanse. They looked harmless enough, but he knew that they must be the smoke of bursting shells."

Any story where one of the heroes falls asleep during the debrief has a fair bit of realism involved.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een spannend verhaal waar Biggles en Algy een belangrijke rol spelen, maar nog niet de hoofdfiguren zijn. Nummer zes, en de reeks staat nog in de kinderschoenen.
Veel vliegen in heel ouderwetse machines, maar zonder al te veel details. Wel veel info over het leveren van een luchtgevecht en ontwijken van de luchtafweer. Niet vergeten: Johns is een oorlogspiloot uit WOI die het allemaal zelf meegemaakt heeft.
Alhoewel het verhaal nog niet de later hoge kwaliteit haalt is het toch zeker de moeite om te lezen. De later ingrediënten aktie en humor zijn al volop aanwezig.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a refreshing change to have a new character acting as the point of view for this book, with Biggles acting in a [substantial] supporting role. It means we get to explore the First World War from new angles - from a boy's private school, from those listing illegally, for secret rescue missions that spawn a wave of perilous rescues of soldiers from across the lines. It's a great story that's well paced with good amounts of action, and of espionage.

The book's not perfect. Thirty is a pretty unlikable character - whilst Biggles has the perfect balance of old-worldy British caricaturisms, and modern gusto and charm, Thirty is a snob who treats everyone from his servants to his friends to his commanding officers, poorly. There's also the plot hole that the 'rescue flight' idea had been used substantially in 'Biggles of 266 Squadron.' But these issues do not detract. 4 stars.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good ,light,adventure about a 16 year old who runs away from school to join the 'RFC' in an attempt to rescue his brother who has gone missing in action during world war one ; and who ends up in 266 squadron with Biggles as his flight commander .
I enjoyed this book , but it is called "BIGGLES and the Rescue Flight " even though Biggles only seems to have a minimal role in the story . For me it was like calling a cake a fruit cake when it hardly has any fruit in it.
Biggles was not the main character and so for me the title is wrong and hence I can only give it three stars rather than the four which ,with the correcct title, it probably deserves .

[russell barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now here's a thing, did you know the WW1 Biggles books are vastly brilliant, much better than his slightly more unpalatable later, more racist-er adventures.

Possibly this is because Johns is draws from his own experience as a WW1 pilot, the tales and scrapes are more vivid, callow and believable, laced with some aero-facts. And to be honest he's only being racist about the Huns, and we've just taken back control from Europe so it's probably okay?*


*Squareheads/Boches or not, this is not okay FYI.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1939, 'Biggles and the Rescue Flight' is one of many aviation tales featuring James Bigglesworth. This tale, set during WW1 features a silly plot involving a scheme to rescue some British POWs from behind German lines. The scheme itself seems half-baked and sure to fail to anyone but Biggles, so naturally he goes with it it the time honoured style of 'light the fires and kick the tyres, last one up is a cissy'. That said, plenty of action and pace, so the daft plot is not a serious impediment.

[Budge Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to World War 1 again ... and one of the more absurd Biggles' adventures, albeit he plays a supporting role in this one. Schoolboys steal planes, join the RFC in France and organise the rescue of PoW's! A confection of absurd little stories and comic book nonsense.
Quite entertaining - I'm having a nostalgia month indulging myself in Biggles (I read a few when I was a schoolboy over 60 years ago). A don't-take-this-seriously romp for unreformed English public schoolboys and decrepit derelicts trying to recapture their childhood.

[Andrew Ives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather an exciting and quick read at only 205 pages, this Biggles episode is moderately educational, never dull and surprisingly exciting around the middle-to-end. As usual, W.E. Johns' writing is pacy and captivating, and the plot twist is a welcome one if not entirely unexpected. Probably the best of the Biggles books I've read so far and it made me want to read more of them. This particular episode would make a great movie. 4.5/5

[Rosie]

i enjoyed this one! definitely sags in the middle but the set up at the school and the denouement when thirty is trying to rescue forty all by himself were both great. and of course i love an outside pov describing biggles as all delicate and small ♥️ my best friend biggles

[Andy Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Biggles books never let you down for a great read.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Biggles story, even though he wasn't really the main character. A continuous WW1 era story with lots of excitement and dash.

[Isaac A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably the best Biggles’ book, with a personal gripping and twisting plot. Biggles’ bravery and chivalry really shine, and the happy ending isn’t obvious or soppy.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than some of the others as this one had followed a thread throughout to be a proper novel as opposed to a collection of stories.

[Paritosh Vyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books in which the main hero plays second fiddle and that too to a youngster fighting for a mission to save his brother from the Germans.
Loved the piece of the book too.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing the series as a whole, rather than the books individually
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.

I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.

Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?

“Never say die.”

[Nisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story centres more on one off character Thirty than the protagonist of the series James Bigglesworth. Biggles plays a supporting role, however not without his usual heroism. The reader gets an insight in to both the British and German air forces, specially their crafts during the first World War, which is both educational and inspiring for young aspiring aeronautic enthusiasts. Compared to the only other Biggles book I've read, Biggles in the Orient, this is lighter on the political incorrectness yet completely lacks female characters and variety. The story is implausible and far fetched and the writing lacks finesse. Yet with plot twists, aeronautical heroics and comraderie and likeable characters such as Algy the stories have touched the hearts of many children and adults alike.

[Shaun Hately · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of W.E. Johns more imaginative First World War books, this one concerns two schoolboys who pretend to be RFC officers in order to try and rescue the elder brother of one of them. They wind up in Biggles squadron and when he finds out what they are up to, he resolves to help.

[Salome · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've loved Biggles' adventures since childhood, and this one was also thrilling. I would just appreciate more space for Biggles - he is more cool than Thirty.

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weer eens lekker ouderwets genieten van een Biggles. Wel storend dat er bij de vertaling wat namen verwisseld zijn

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dramatic with a really nice ending. Odd for the story to be from a perspective other than Biggles but it worked nicely.

[Daniel Bratell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main character in this book is actually a boy (17 years old) called Thirty, who ends up in Biggles 266 squadron when looking for his missing brother.